Proclamation in Cross-Cultural Context: Missiological Implications of the Book of Daniel

This study attempts to explore the biblical foundation ofsalvific mission as revealed in God\u27s purposes for the nations (missio Dei ) in the book of Daniel and to investigate the means that Daniel employed in his ministry as an overt missionary who was sent to witness to God\u27s salvific purpose in the cross-cultural context of heathen kingdoms. The main objective of this research is to validate the book of Daniel as a missionary document and show that its missiological implications are still relevant to present-day missions. Chapter 2 explores the salvific purpose of missio Dei in the book of Daniel including God\u27s initiative for salvation in human history, God\u27s salvific purpose for all people. The chapter demonstrates that Daniel was aware of the sovereignty of God in the process of the exile as a means to achieve God\u27s salvific purpose for all people through his human agents. Chapter 3 researches the strategies of missio Dei , showing how God used committed individuals, dreams, visions, and spiritual conflict. The chapter shows that God\u27s strategy involves not only calling people to serve for his salvific purpose but also demonstrates God\u27s direct intervention in human history through dreams, visions, and spiritual conflict. Chapter 4 focuses on the cultural perspective of Daniel\u27s ministry by analyzing the process of cultural learning and symbolism within the book of Daniel. Furthermore, Daniel\u27s witness to Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius is examined and analyzed from a cross-cultural perspective. The chapter reveals that Daniel and his friends were sensitive to the local culture as they communicated God\u27s truth in a cross-cultural context without sacrificing the content of that truth. Chapter 5 suggests missiological implications from the book of Daniel for current cross-cultural missionary work. The elucidation of practical implications demonstrates that the book of Daniel should be treated as a missionary document to develop for the present-day cross-cultural mission practices as well as theology

Humanitarian Supply Chain/Logistics: Roadmap to Effective Relief Effort

Between the years of 2000 and 2012, natural disasters caused 1.7 trillion dollars in damage and affected 2.9 billion people (dosomething.org). In Americas (ranked second globally in terms of natural disasters) between 2007 and 2016, disasters caused 255,033 deaths, 898,816 injuries and damages worth $470 billion (Disasters, 2017). In 2016 alone, natural disasters caused$175 billion in damage with 8,700 lives (Munich RE, 2017). The above numbers reflect the amount of physical destruction only but do not include indirect losses such as unemployment, environmental consequences, and business disruptions. Therefore, the full impact of these catastrophic events is much greater than these numbers suggest. Response to and management of disaster relief supply chain is different from that of commercial supply chain/logistics in many aspects. Since humanitarian relief efforts depend to a large extent on international donors and the donors usually respond well to emergency, a well thought out long term strategic plan to relive human suffering is not well established. But studies indicate that investment in the planning stage of humanitarian supply chain is much more effective and saves many lives than spending on the operation side of relief efforts. This paper explores alternative ways to respond and manage humanitarian relief efforts utilizing the principles of commercial supply chain. More specifically, this paper addresses/outlines the process to improve relief outcomes by investing in the prepared stage of humanitarian supply chain

Growth of superconducting MgB2 thin films via postannealing techniques

We report the effect of annealing on the superconductivity of MgB2 thin films as functions of the postannealing temperature in the range from 700 C to 950 C and of the postannealing time in the range from 30 min to 120 min. On annealing at 900 C for 30 min, we obtained the best-quality MgB2 films with a transition temperature of 39 K and a critical current density of ~ 10^7 A/cm^2. Using the scanning electron microscopy, we also investigated the film growth mechanism. The samples annealed at higher temperatures showed the larger grain sizes, well-aligned crystal structures with preferential orientations along the c-axis, and smooth surface morphologies. However, a longer annealing time prevented the alignment of grains and reduced the superconductivity, indicating a strong interfacial reaction between the substrate and the MgB2 film.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures include

The Interaction of Phospholipase C-{beta}3 with Shank2 Regulates mGluR-mediated Calcium Signal

Phospholipase C-{beta} isozymes that are activated by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) and heterotrimeric G proteins carry a PSD-95/Dlg/ZO-1 (PDZ) domain binding motif at their C terminus. Through interactions with PDZ domains, this motif may endow the PLC-{beta} isozyme with specific roles in GPCR signaling events that occur in compartmentalized regions of the plasma membrane. In this study, we identified the interaction of PLC-{beta}3 with Shank2, a PDZ domain-containing multimodular scaffold in the postsynaptic density (PSD). The C terminus of PLC-{beta}3, but not other PLC-{beta} isotypes, specifically interacts with the PDZ domain of Shank2. Homer 1b, a Shank-interacting protein that is linked to group I metabotropic glutamate receptors and IP3 receptors, forms a multiple complex with Shank2 and PLC-{beta}3. Importantly, microinjection of a synthetic peptide specifically mimicking the C terminus of PLC-{beta}3 markedly reduces the mGluR-mediated intracellular calcium response. These results demonstrate that Shank2 brings PLC-{beta}3 closer to Homer 1b and constitutes an efficient mGluR-coupled signaling pathway in the PSD region of neuronal synapses